I get what you are saying, and I do not think it is the same as salt, though even salt brings up similar issues, just not as clearly, because when you say Salt you mean the physical thing. When you say Canada, you do not mean the land, what you actually mean is a bunch of patterns of human behavior based on memes entailed by the meme Canada. All humans die of a plague, Canada is gone, while salt still lives on in our salt shakers. So it is not a thing in the way salt is.There was a moment in history when all those trees and mountains and rivers... existed, but "Canada" did not exist. And an hour later nothing has changed except that all those trees and hills and rivers ... were part of "Canada", which just had been created by 'fiat'. And since that moment Canada exists in the minds of all those who share this belief — Matias
The object "salt" (with all its features) does not vanish even if you stop believing in it, or if we give it another name. But entities like "Canada" can vanish from one second to another, or be created. Just think what happened with "Yugoslavia" . — Matias
There was a moment in history when all those trees and mountains and rivers... existed, but "Canada" did not exist. — Matias
When you say Canada, you do not mean the land, — Coben
Well, it probably did, but 'we' didn't know about it - so it wouldn't matter, much.And in the past the chemical that we currently call "salt" existed, but "salt," the name, the concept, etc. did not exist. — Terrapin Station
Well, not people - just creatures; but I digress.Only people value things. — Terrapin Station
You believe that a real something is real? What, exactly, do you mean by "believe." It might help also if you make clear what you mean by "real."
Your answers matter because the how makes all the difference.
Well, not people - just creatures; but I digress. — Shamshir
That's fair. :ok:Non-human creatures that are capable of valuing things I'd consider people. I wouldn't say that persons are/personhood is necessarily limited to humans. — Terrapin Station
you're affirming what cannot reasonably or rationally be confirmed. And that's why Christians, if that's what we're talking about, do not so affirm.
this God that you claim exists, in the sense that a brick or any other thing exists, and expressly not in the sense that an idea exists, are you quite sure you want that God to exist as you claim He does?
then perhaps you can give us some indication of both his powers and his limitations. You, because there's no other source of that information.
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